Last-tube support.



0. HEATH. LAST TUBE SUPPORT.

APPLICATION FILED JUNE 24, 1910.

999,783. Patented Aug. 8,1911.

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OSCAR HEATH, OF BROGKTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

LAST-TUBE SUPPORT.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Aug. 8, 1911.

Application filed'J'une 24, 1910. Serial No. 568,689.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OSCAR HEATH, a citizen of the United States,residing at Brockton, in the county of Plymouth and State ofMassachusetts, have invented an Improvement in Last-Tube Supports, ofwhich the following description, in connection with the accompanyingdrawings, is a specification, like letters on the drawings represent inglike parts.

My invention relates to the heel end of a last and consists of thecombination with the cone or top of the heelend of a last of a block ofrelatively hard, non-shrinkable material such as fiberoid capable offrictionally gripping hard against iron, set into the mid dle of thecone in position to hold and retain the thimble or ack tube, whichpreferably is flared out or laterally flanged at its top end to furtherfacilitate its retention and support by the block of fiberoid and c0-operate with the latter in receiving the blows and pressures whichcommonly crush and splinter the cone.

My invention has three principal objects, viz., the provision of meansto prevent the crushing and splintering of the top of the heel part, theprovision of means for supporting the thimble or tube, and a combinationof parts whereby the thimble cannot tend to drop out from the heel part.

Regarding the last mentioned object, jack tubes or spindle thimbles areusually set directly in the wood of the last and as the latterinvariably shrinks more or less they are thereby left loose in the woodand tend to drop out, so that transverse rivets, external corrugationsor spur-like projections have been provided for holding them innotwithstanding their looseness. I provide (either with or without theseusual means) a block or ring of material which does not expand orcontract under usual conditions of use, mount this block or ring in thecone of the last and then drive the tube down into and through thisblock with a tight driving fit so that the tube is retained by thisnon-shrinkable, friction gripping block or ring, and the latter, beingof a fibrous nature, is readily glued or otherwise fastened to or intothe last.

Regarding the first mentioned object, which is of paramount importancefrom a practical standpoint, it will be at once evident that, as thecrushing and splintering of the cone of the last is brought about by thethe wood a block or ring of material such as hard fiberoid which doesnot tend to crush or splinter and which is nevertheless somewhatyielding (as distinguished from iron, for example) so that it receivesand absorbs the pressures and blows from the thimble which the latterwould otherwise transmit with injurious efi'ect directly to the wood,and as further facilitating the preservation of the wood and at the sametime carrying out the second of my objects above mentioned, I providethe thimble with a flaring upper end or laterally extending flange whichoverlies and rests directly down upon said block or ring of fiberoid orsimilar material, which is embedded in the cone of the last about thethimble.

In the accompanying drawings, in which I have shown a preferredembodiment of the invention, Figure 1 shows the heel end of a lastprovided with my invention, parts be ing broken away and sectioned forclearness of illustration; and Fig. 2 is a top plan View thereof.

It will be understood that my invention is applicable to practically allkinds of lasts. In the cone or top 1 of the heel part 2 I set in a ringor block3 of fiber board, fiberoid, or other similar hard, durable,fibrous material, centrally apertured to receive a jack tube or thimble4 which is driven with a tight fit down into place as shown in Fig. 1.This thimble preferably has a flared upper end or flange 5 which restsupon and is directly supported by the block 3.

The manufacture of my construction is exceedingly simple andinexpensive. Instead of simply boring the usual hole for the thimble, Iprovide the boring tool with a shouldered bit which corresponds indiameter to the size of the circular block or ring 3, so that as thethimble hole is being bored, the recess for the block 3 issimultaneously bored by the same tool. The block or ring 3 is thensmeared with glue or, it may be, is simply driven into its recess withan exceedingly tight fit, and then the flanged thimble is driven harddown through the ring 3 and into the place in the last. Each side of theannular block 3 is slabbed off more or less flat as indicated at 6 intoalinement with the plane of the adjacent side of the last. Preferablyalso the thimble flange is longer lengthwise of the last thantransversely thereof. The material of the member 3 is such that itclings or grips, with a strong frictional engagement, the metal tube tand does not shrink away from the latter so as to loosen its hold on thetube in the course of the use of the last in the manufacture of shoes(when the last always shrinks under the con stantly changing conditionsfrom wet to dry and vice versa). Thus the tube is prevented fromloosening and dropping out, the last is prevented from being split (asthe tube is strongly upheld at its upper end so that its lower end doesnot drive down as badly as heretofore), the cone is preserved fromsplintering notwithstanding that the greater part of the wood is leftexposed at the top, and, as the member 3 is annular or at least set intoa shouldered recess, said supporting and shock-absorbing member cannotshift, and needs no holding nails or screws so that it transmits tippingor lateral strains of the tube directly to the wood, 2'. 6., to saidshoulders.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent is.

A last, having its heel end provided with a boring to receive a thimble,and an enlarged countersunk recess at the mouth of said boring, athimble fitted in said boring, and a block of non-shrinkable,friction-gripping material tightly fitted in said countersunk recess andhaving an aperture to tightly embrace said thimble and permanently holdthe same in place.

In testimony whereof, I have signed my name to this specification, inthe presence of two subscribing witnesses.

OS CAR HEATH.

Witnesses:

l/VM. J. PIKE, M. J. SPALDING.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressingthe Commissioner of Patents, Washington, I). G.

